Ge/Si photodiodes and phototransistors with embedded arrays of germanium quantum dots for fiber-optic communication lines

Photodetectors based on Ge/Si multilayer heterostructures with germanium quantum dots are fabricated for use in fiber-optic communication lines operating in the wavelength range 1.30–1.55 μm. These photodetectors can be embedded in an array of photonic circuit elements on a single silicon chip. The sheet density of germanium quantum dots falls in the range from 0.3 × 1012 to 1.0 × 1012 cm−2, and their lateral size is approximately equal to 10 nm. The heterostructures are grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. For a reverse bias of 1 V, the dark current density reaches 2 × 10−5 A/cm2. This value is the lowest in the data on dark current densities available in the literature for Ge/Si photodetectors at room temperature. The quantum efficiency of photodiodes and phototransistors subjected to illumination from the side of the plane of the p-n junctions is found to be 3% at a wavelength of 1.3 μm. It is demonstrated that the maximum quantum efficiency is achieved for edge-illuminated waveguide structures and can be as high as 21 and 16% at wavelengths of 1.3 and 1.5 μm, respectively.